Supportive Housing MOA: Questions and Answers

On July 25th CSSEA distributed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) dated July 23rd, 2024 which advanced pay equity for supportive housing roles. CSSEA has now distributed an amended MOA dated August 28th, 2024. How does this second MOA impact the first MOA?

Both MOAs were developed based on direction by government to advance parity between CSSEA’s collective agreements and the Community Health Sub-Sector collective agreement. Earlier work in 2023 and the July 23rd MOA improved parity yet gaps still remained; government is seeking to close them with the August 28th MOA which replaces the July 23rd MOA. As the August 28th MOA includes new concepts such as shift premiums and additional monies for temporary market adjustments (TMAs), employers have been provided additional time to implement the updated terms (no later than the beginning of the first full pay period following October 1, 2024).

The identification of the eligible employees for the TMAs is complicated. Can you clarify who is eligible for the TMAs?

This initiative’s aim is to better compensate employees in job classifications that are performing similar work to classifications in Community Health. The specific CSSEA job classifications that are eligible for parity funding are listed in the MOA, and the following approach is used to identify them. All of these criteria must be satisfied in order for an employee to be eligible for the TMAs.

1. Employers - Eligible employees must work at one of the employers listed in the MOA. Each of the employers listed has a BC Housing contract for services according to data submitted to CSSEA for the 2022 fiscal year. If your agency is on this list of 50 employers, the data you provided to CSSEA indicates that your agency has at least one job classification as identified in the MOA. Only employees who work at one of the listed employers are eligible.
2. Programs - Eligible employees must work in a “supportive housing” program as it is defined by BC Housing. The BC Housing website defines supportive housing as
   
   … subsidized housing with on-site supports (shelters and housing programs) for single adults, seniors and people with disabilities at risk of or experiencing homelessness. These supports help people find and maintain stable housing…Supportive housing provides a range of on-site, non-clinical supports such as: life skills training, connections to health care, mental health or substance-use services.
   
   This definition was adopted by the parties in the MOA for the purpose of the TMAs. The government, unions, and CSSEA recognize that this definition may create divisions between employees who are eligible and those who aren’t. We are interested to hear from you if this is the case to explore if it is possible to reduce these inequities. The MOA is expected to be a temporary measure while more permanent solutions are explored in the next round of bargaining.
3. Funder – While the definition of supportive housing originates from BC Housing, employers may operate supportive housing programs funded by other provincial entities, most notably a Health Authority. As a result, eligible employees may work in a program other than a BC Housing funded program. Nevertheless, government and BC Housing have committed that BC Housing will be responsible for funding the cost of the TMAs for all such eligible employees/programs. The only caveat is that the other program must be funded in full by a provincial source. The amount of funding to be distributed to employers is based on employer data provided to CSSEA for the 2022 fiscal year.
4. Classifications - Eligible employees must work in jobs or classifications within the identified Grid 11 benchmarks as listed in the MOA. Job description names and responsibilities may vary, but they must be matched to the specified benchmark. The benchmarks identified as eligible are as follows:
   
   a) Adult, Youth and/or Child Worker – Grid 11;
   b) Residential Child and Youth Worker – Grid 11;
   c) Special Services Worker – Grid 11;
   d) Victim Service Worker – Grid 11;
   
   Unique positions comparable to Community Health Advocate, Detox Worker 2, Shelter Support Worker, or Support Worker 2 and paid at Grid 11 that are working on-site in fully provincially funded supportive housing programs are also eligible for funding under this MOA. If you are not sure of eligibility, please contact David Lin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
5. Location - To be eligible, the location of the job must involve regular reporting to work on-site for at least part of the time, and will not be eligible if the job exclusively performs outreach off-site.

Note that many employers operate programs in buildings owned by BC Housing but the programs contained therein are not “supportive housing” programs as defined by the MOA. This would not be considered a BC Housing funded supportive housing program, and in any event, all of the above criteria must be met for employees to be eligible for the TMAs. Should employees or unions assert eligibility, please feel free to share the above criteria with them or contact your CSSEA representative with the assertions made and we will follow up.

The MOA states that increment progression continues in accordance with the collective agreement. Does this mean that an employee could work for 4000 hours at $31.56/hour at Steps 1 and 2?

Yes. This will be the case, but only until the first pay period in December 2024 when the wage rates for eligible employees move to a 3-Step Wage Grid. Until then, any eligible employee would work up to 2000 hours at Step 1 ($31.56/hour) and then another 2000 hours at Step 2 ($31.56/hour) before moving to Step 3 ($32.42/hour). This is the case because the aggregate wage rate is the same at Steps 1 and 2 while both steps remain in effect.

What happens to wage rates and increment progression once the 3-Step wage grid comes into effect for eligible employees?

In your first full pay period of December 2024, eligible employees are paid in accordance with the new wage grid that eliminates the first step and retains the same aggregate wage rates:

Employees who are at the previous Step 1 (less than 2000 hours) move to the new Step 1 in the first pay period of December. That date becomes their new increment progression date so that they will move to the new Step 2 rate after working an additional 2000 hours (if working consistently at a full-time FTE, they would move to the new Step 2 rate in December 2025).

Employees at the previous Step 2 rate of $31.56 will move to the new Step 2 rate of $32.42 in December 2024, and employees at the previous Step 3 rate of $32.42 will move to the new Step 3 rate of $33.49 in December. Employees at the previous Step 4 rate of $33.49 will move to the new Step 3 and not experience any change in pay. Increment progression dates for these employees remain the same as they were prior to December 2024.

The MOA reads as if the shift premiums are only payable to the same employees eligible for the wage TMAs. Is this the case, even though other employees also work afternoon, nights, and weekends?

Yes, this is the case. This initiative is an interim measure supported by limited funds to bring parity to wage rates and adds-to-pay (shift premiums) for the targeted employees. Government, CSSEA, and the CSSBA will be looking to address this situation in the upcoming round of bargaining and look at more permanent, equitable solutions. The shift premiums are paid only to employees who actually work the defined shifts and are not payable on any leaves taken whether paid or unpaid.

Are the wage and shift premium TMAs also payable to casual employees?

Yes. Casual employees would be paid the wage TMAs for hours worked in the eligible classifications and the shift premium TMAs during the defined shifts while working in the eligible classifications.

How long will this MOA remain in effect?

This is an interim measure that aims to continue the process of CSSEA wage and benefit comparability with the Health Sector, for the targeted group of employees in supportive housing that fell out of wage alignment with Community Health in 2023. The MOA will remain in effect until the conclusion of the upcoming bargaining process to renew the CSSEA collective agreements.

Will we need to provide a reconciliation of TMA amounts distributed?

Employers are advised to track the payments of the TMAs to eligible classifications and employees. CSSEA may request this information from you to assist with funding questions as well as the cost estimates for wage and shift premium improvements when negotiating the next Collective Agreement.